U.S. patent number 5,459,956 [Application Number 08/175,804] was granted by the patent office on 1995-10-24 for firearm ejector system.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Remington Arms Company, Inc.. Invention is credited to Thomas G. Bauman, Kenneth C. Rowlands.
United States Patent |
5,459,956 |
Rowlands , et al. |
October 24, 1995 |
Firearm ejector system
Abstract
In a break open firearm, an automatic ejection system that
utilizes the hammer cocking rods to cam the ejector sears into
position to latch the ejectors.
Inventors: |
Rowlands; Kenneth C. (Utica,
NY), Bauman; Thomas G. (Ilion, NY) |
Assignee: |
Remington Arms Company, Inc.
(Wilmington, DE)
|
Family
ID: |
22641698 |
Appl.
No.: |
08/175,804 |
Filed: |
December 30, 1993 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
42/47; 42/43;
42/46 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F41A
3/58 (20130101); F41A 15/06 (20130101); F41A
17/60 (20130101); F41A 19/21 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
F41A
17/00 (20060101); F41A 19/21 (20060101); F41A
19/00 (20060101); F41A 17/60 (20060101); F41A
15/06 (20060101); F41A 3/00 (20060101); F41A
15/00 (20060101); F41A 3/58 (20060101); F41A
003/58 () |
Field of
Search: |
;42/46,47,48,43,44,45,41,42.01,42.02,42.03 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Johnson; Stephen M.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Huntley; Donald W.
Claims
We claim:
1. In a break open firearm having a frame attached to a stock, a
barrel housing carrying at least one barrel and rotatable about a
pivot on the frame, at least one hammer pivotally mounted on the
frame for movement from a cocked position to a position against the
frame, a hammer spring urging the hammer forwardly, a firing pin
aligned with each said hammer, trigger means operatively connected
to actuate the hammer, a cocking rod attached to each said hammer
and mounted for reciprocation on the frame for acting on the
hammer, and cam means for moving the cocking road rearward when the
barrel housing is rotated about the frame, a fore-end housing and
means for ejecting cartridges from the firearm, an improved
ejection system comprising a cam depression formed in each said
cocking rod, an ejector sear having an upper and lower end, said
sear being slideably disposed in a slot in the barrel housing, the
sear having its lower end positioned in the cam depression formed
in the cocking rod when the cocking rod is in its rearward
position, an ejector slideably disposed in a groove formed in the
barrel housing and spring biased rearwardly, the upper end of the
ejector sear being positioned to latch the groove in the ejector
upon rearward movement of the ejector, a frame projection
positioned to cam against the ejector sear upon rotation of the
barrel housing about the frame to move the ejector sear rearward,
releasing the ejector.
2. A firearm of claim 1 having at least two barrels.
3. A firearm of claim 2 wherein the barrels are arranged in an over
and under configuration.
4. A firearm of claim 1 wherein each said barrel is adapted to
receive shot shells.
5. A firearm of claim 1 further comprising a safety mechanism for
disengaging the trigger means from the hammer, the safety
comprising an auto safety actuating rod having a front end and a
rear end the front end operatively connected to a locking bolt
mechanism to move rearward when the locking bolt mechanism is
opened, an attaching means detachably connecting the auto safety
actuating rod to an auto safety actuator which is slideably
disposed in the frame in a path having a principal axis which is
parallel to the horizontal axis of the firearm and which, in the
rearmost portion of the sliding path, abuts a safety switch to put
the safety mechanism in the "on" position, the attaching memos
between the auto safety actuating rod and the auto safety actuator
being below the principal axis of the sliding path of the auto
safety actuator, the rear end of the auto safety actuating rod
being aligned to impinge, when unattached to the auto safety
actuator, upon a front nose portion of a selector block in the
trigger mechanism, disengaging the trigger means from the hammer,
and, when the auto safety actuating rod is attached to the auto
safety actuator, the auto safety actuator, in its rearmost
position, moves the safety switch to the "on" position.
6. An apparatus of claim 5 wherein the connection means between the
auto safety actuating rod and the auto safety actuator is a pin
removeable to an aperture in the frame.
7. An apparatus of claim 6 wherein the firearm has at least two
barrels, the safety switch is adapted for side to side movement to
select the barrel to be fired first, the switch moving in a path
having a guide pin in the path which restricts side to side motion
of the switch in its forward position, and the frame is provided
with two side to side apertures rearward of the safety switch and
in its sliding path, the rearmost aperture intersecting the sliding
path of the safety switch, and the frontmost aperture being adapted
to receive a locking pin which, by insertion in one side of the
aperture in the frame, inhibits motion of the selector switch, so
as to fix the selection of the barrel to be fired first and disable
the safety switch.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a break open firearm that has an
automatic ejection system, and preferably a top lever adjusting
system, an automatic safety system and a fore-end tension adjusting
system.
Break open firearms, and particularly over and under shotguns in
which the barrels are alligned vertically in the firing position,
have long been known. However, several features have been subject
to continuing development.
The ejection system, for removing spent shells from the firearm,
desireably should be easily convened between automatic and manual,
to accomodate shooters who save their fired shells for
reloading.
Further, adjusting systems are needed to allow the radial
positioning of the centerline of the top lever just to the right of
the centerline of the frame top tang when the action is closed.
Specifically, a top lever adjusting system would be desireable that
allows the radial position of the centerline of the top lever to be
easily positioned just to the right of the centerline of the frame
top tang when the action is closed. This would ensure that as wear
occurs to the firearm's locking system, the top lever centerline
would gradually move to be in-line with the centerline of the top
tang. A gun which has its top lever centerline to the left of the
top tang centerline is generally considered to be "worn-out,"
although this might not necessarily be the case. A further
requirement is that the top lever always be in a position to latch
itself open at approximately the same time as the barrel assembly
is released to be pivoted open.
Still another desireable feature of such firearms would be an
automatic safety system that can be easily convened to a manual
safety, combined with a safety/barrel selector mechanism that could
also be locked in the fire position to always fire a preselected
barrel first. A large number of modern over and under shotguns
incorporate a safety switch that is automatically returned to the
"safe" position each time the top lever is operated to break the
gun open for reloading or unloading. This requires that the safety
switch be pushed to the fire position before the gun can again be
fired. Many competitive target shooters do not like this automatic
safety system and will have it convened to a manual safety system,
such that as soon as the gun is reloaded it can be fired without
having to operate the safety switch.
All shotguns that incorporate automatic safeties can have them
modified to manual safeties. This procedure is somewhat involved,
requiring that parts be permanently removed from the safety
mechanism by a competent gunsmith. Currently available shotguns
cannot have the safety mechanism modified easily by the owner.
A further need for break open shotguns is a fore-end assembly
tension adjusting system that allows barrel interchangeability with
no change in fore-end assembly tension. It is considered desirable
on modern shotguns that the fore-end iron radius should be a tight
fit against the mating radius of the frame, such that it produces a
slight drag to prevent the barrel assembly from flopping down when
the top lever is rotated to open the gun. The majority of shotgun
manufacturers accomplish this by hand fitting the rear surface of
the barrel lug such that there is no clearance between it and its
mating surface on the fore-end iron, as well as between the mating
radii of the frame and fore-end iron and between the frame
trunnions (pivot pins) and their mating half radius cuts in the
barrel mono-block. This is a time consuming operation requiring a
high degree of skill.
Over time these surfaces will wear, especially the trunnion and
mono-block surfaces which are subjected to the full gun recoil
forces. This eventually leads to loose fitting pans. These
potential problems have previously been handled by providing a
screw type adjustment device in the fore-end iron. This solution
has worked well except in those cases where a gun has been equipped
with more than one barrel assembly, which is common in the over and
under shotgun market. This has required that the fore-end iron be
disassembled from the fore-end so that adjustments can be made to
suit each individual barrel assembly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The instant invention provides an automatic ejection system that
utilizes the hammer cocking rods to cam the ejector sears into
position to latch the ejectors. There is further provided a
preferred top lever adjusting system that allows the radial
position of the centerline of the top lever to be easily positioned
just to the right of the centerline of the frame top tang when the
action is closed. The firearm of the present invention preferably
further comprises an automatic safety system that can be easily
converted to a manual safety, combined with a safety/barrel
selector mechanism that can also be locked in the fire position to
always fire a preselected barrel first. A further preferred feature
of the present invention is a fore-end assembly tension adjusting
system that allows barrel interchangeability with no change in
fore-end assembly tension, by providing an easily accessible
tension adjusting screw that is mounted in the barrel lug.
Specifically, the present invention provides, in a break open
firearm having a frame attached to a stock, a barrel housing
carrying at least one barrel and rotatable about a pivot on the
frame, at least one hammer pivotally mounted on the stock frame for
movement from a cocked position to a position against the frame
acted on by a hammer strut, a hammer spring urging the hammer strut
forwardly, a firing pin alligned with each hammer trigger means
operatively connected to actuate the hammer, a cocking rod mounted
for reciprocation on the frame for acting on the hammer strut, and
cam means for moving the cocking rod rearward when the barrel
housing is rotated about the frame, a fore-end housing, and means
for ejecting cartridges from the firearm, an improved ejector
system comprising a cam depression formed in each cocking rod, an
ejector sear slideably disposed in a slot in the barrel housing,
the sear having its lower end positioned in the cam depression
formed in the cocking rod when the cocking rod is in its rearward
position, an ejector slideably disposed in the barrel housing and
spring biased rearwardly having a groove formed therein, the upper
end of the ejector sear being positioned to latch the groove in the
ejector upon rearward movement of the ejector, a frame projection
positioned to cam against the ejector sear upon rotation of the
barrel housing about the frame to move the ejector sear rearward,
releasing the ejector.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side view, partially in section, of an entire gun
mechanism of the present invention, in the ready to fire
condition.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged side view, partially in section, showing the
hammer in the cocked position arid the cocking rod in the rearward
position.
FIG. 3 is the same as FIG. 2, showing the hammer fired, with the
cocking rod moved forward, camming the ejector sear upward to a
position to latch the shell ejector.
FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIGS. 2 and 3, illustrating the barrel
assembly starting to pivot open with the ejector cam cut in the
receiver frame permitting the ejector sear to latch the
ejector.
FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIGS. 2 to 4, illustrating the barrel
assembly pivoted fully open with the ejector sear cammed rearward
by the frame projection that stops barrel rotation, thus releasing
the ejector to eject the fired shell from the chamber.
FIG. 6 is a left hand side view of the top lever adjusting system
in the locked read-to-fire position.
FIG. 7 is a partial top view of the top lever adjusting system in
the same position as FIG. 6.
FIG. 8 is a left hand side view of the top lever adjusting system
in the unlocked position, with the barrel assembly pivoted
partially open.
FIG. 9 is a partial top view of the top lever adjusting system in
the same position as FIG. 8.
FIG. 10 is an enlarged side view of the top lever adjusting system
with the locking bolt in the forward or locked position.
FIG. 11 is an enlarged side view of the top lever adjusting system
showing the locking bolt in the rear, or unlocked, position and the
top lever in the latched, or open, position.
FIG. 12 is an enlarged top view of the top lever adjusting system
corresponding to the side view shown in FIG. 10.
FIG. 13 is an enlarged top view of the top lever adjusting system
corresponding to the side view shown in FIG. 11.
FIG. 14 is an enlarged sectional view of the top lever adjusting
system cut through the locking bolt, top lever cam projection and
adjusting screws.
FIG. 15 is an enlarged left hand side view of the safety system
with the firing mechanism in the automatic safety mode.
FIG. 16 is the same view as FIG. 15, except that the safety switch
has been moved forward to the ready-to-fire position, connecting
the trigger mechanism to the sear.
FIG. 17 is an enlarged left hand side view of the safety system,
with the firing mechanism in the automatic safety mode, with the
gun unlocked and the barrel assembly pivoting open.
FIG. 18 is an enlarged left hand side view of the safety system,
showing the firing mechanism in the manual safety mode, with the
barrel assembly locking in the closed position and the safety
switch moved forward to the ready-to-fire position, connecting the
trigger mechanism to the sear.
FIG. 19 is an enlarged left hand side view of the safety system,
showing the firing mechanism in the manual safety mode, with the
gun unlocked and the barrel assembly pivoting open.
FIG. 20 is the same view as FIG. 19, except that the safety switch
has been locked in the ready-to-fire position, to always fire a
pre-selected barrel first.
FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view of the fore-end tension adjusting
system.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is illustrated in detail in the several
drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a partly cut-away illustration of an
over and under shotgun assembly 10 with a barrel assembly 12,
comprising joined barrels 30 and 32, a receiver frame 14 and stock
16. The barrel assembly 12 is pivotally received at 18 in recesses
(not shown) in the frame 14. The frame 14 houses a trigger assembly
20 and firing assembly 22 similar to that shown in U.S. Pat. No.
3,808,724, and for the purposes of this disclosure is hereby
incorporated by reference.
FIGS. 2 to 5 illustrate the hammer cocking rod 24, having cam 48
formed therein, camming the ejector sears 26 into a position to
latch the ejectors 28. In these illustrations, only one side of
thes automatic ejector system is illustrated and it will be
appreciated that in a double-barreled shotgun each side of the
ejector system is the stone for each of barrels 30 and 32.
The ejector sear 26 is slidably held in a dove tail slot 34 in the
barrel assembly by a detent spring 36. The ejector 28, having a
plunger 38 in slot 40 of the barrel assembly, is biased rearwardly
by spring 42. A pin 44 on ejector 28 rides in cam 46 in the frame
to position the ejector 28 forwardly against the bias of spring 42
when the barrel assembly is in the closed position.
In FIG. 2, the hammer cocking rod 24 is in the rearward position
with the ejector sear 26 resting in the cam 48 cut into the rod 24.
The ejector 28 is held fully forward by the breach face 50 of the
frame. As the trigger assembly is operated and the sear 52 releases
the hammer 54 which is forced forward by spring assembly 56, the
rod 24 moves forward as shown in FIG. 3, and the ejector sear 26 is
cammed upward to a position to latch the ejector 28, groove 29
formed therein, when it moves rearward.
After the firing sequence, as shown in FIG. 3, and the barrel
assembly is pivoted open slightly (approximately 20 degrees), as
shown in FIG. 4, the ejector pin 44 on the ejector riding in the
frame cam 46 allows the ejector to move rearward until the nose
portion 58 on ejector sear 26 engages the shoulder 60 on ejector 28
to permit the ejector sear to latch the ejector against rearward
movement and against the bias of spring 42.
As the barrel assembly is pivoted fully open (approximately 47
degrees), as shown in FIG. 5, the shoulder 62 on the ejector sear
26 contacts the frame projection 64 camming the ejector sear
rearward, releasing the ejector so that the ejector spring 42 will
move the ejector 28 rearward so the ejector head 66, having a
recess 68 riding under the shell head lip 70, will eject the fired
shell. As the end 72 of the hammer cocking rod 24 contacts the
cocking cam cut 74 in the fore-end iron 76, the cocking rod 24 is
thus cammed fully rearward, overcocking the hammer. When the barrel
assembly is subsequently rotated to close the gun, the hammer 54
will move forward until latched by sear 52, as shown in FIG. 2.
To convert the gun to manual ejection, the ejector sears 26 and
detent springs 36 can be pushed out of their dove-tail slots in the
barrel assembly.
FIGS. 6 to 14 illustrate the top lever adjusting system of the
present invention.
As shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, the top lever 80 is pivotally mounted in
the frame 14 and has an off-center cam projection 82 which
activates the locking bolt 84 slidably positioned in the frame to
engage the barrel assembly locking lug 86 when the top lever 80 is
in the closed position. In FIGS. 6 and 7, the top lever is in the
central position after camming the locking bolt to its forward
position over the barrel locking lugs. By contrast, in FIGS. 8 and
9, the top lever has been rotated to its latched open position
after camming the locking bolt to its rearward, position to unlock
the barrel assembly. As illustrated in those Figures, when the top
lever 80 is pivoted to the open position, the cam projection 82
slides the locking bolt 84 rearward disengaging from the locking
lug 86 permitting the barrel assembly to pivot open.
The interconnection between the cam projection 82 and the locking
bolt conventionally has been merely having the projection 82 extend
down into the lug opening 88, as shown on FIG. 10, and by precision
hand work locate the projection in the opening to obtain the
desired radial alignment of the top lever with the frame. Further,
conventionally this projection 82-lug opening 88 relationship was
adjusted to a fixed position so the top lever was aligned just to
the right of the centerline of the frame top tang 90 when the
action is closed. In this fashion as the top lever action wears
(projection 82-lug opening 88), the top lever would approach the
centerline of the frame. A gun with a top lever left of the
centerline is generally considered "worn out," which may not be the
case.
To overcome the disadvantages mentioned above, an adjustment
mechanism has been provided so that the relationship between the
projection 82 and opening 88 can be varied, and thus the alignment
of the top lever. Threadably inserted into axial opening 88 are top
lever position adjusting screws 94, 96, as shown in FIG. 10, which
have hex-recesses accessible from the rear of the bolt 84. The rear
screw 96 has to be removed and the top lever raised slightly for
access to the front screw 94.
With the adjustment of front screw 94, the radial position of the
top lever can be changed and with the adjustment of rear screw 96,
the top lever will be latched open at approximately the same time
the locking bolt 84 releases from the barrel locking lug 86.
With this adjustable feature, the position of the top lever can be
changed as the parts wear and assure good locking bolt and barrel
locking lug interaction.
FIG. 14 further illustrates locking bolt spring 97, biased between
the frame and the locking bolt to insure contact of both sides of
the locking bolt lugs with the barrel lugs.
FIG. 15 is an enlarged left hand side view of the preferred safety
system with the firing mechanism in the automatic safety mode.
Spring-biased safety switch 98 is slidably mounted in a
front-to-rear slot, not shown, in frame 14, and retained by safety
switch detent pin 100. The safety switch is connected to selector
block 102 by means of projection 104 on the safety switch. The
projection connects with slot 106 formed in the selector block. The
selector block is pivotally connected to front connector arm 105
and rear connector arm 107, which are both pivotally connected to
trigger base 108. The front connector arm has tab 110, which
engages, in firing condition, step 112 on the hammer sear 52. With
the safety on, these are separated by a gap, as shown between these
elements in FIG. 15, preventing operation of the firing
mechanism.
The mechanism further comprises auto safety actuator 114, which, in
its rearward position, abuts the safety switch. In normal
operation, the auto safety actuator is attached to the rear end of
auto safety actuating rod 116 by means of pin 118. Thus connected,
when the auto safety actuating rod is pushed rearward, the auto
safety actuator will abut the safety switch at its front end, thus
putting the safety in the "on" position. When the pin 118 is
removed, the rear end of the auto salary actuating rod will
nonetheless abut the front nose 120 of the selector block, thus
disengaging the firing mechanism when the gun is open.
The safety mechanism preferably further comprises means for the
permanent selection of the first-firing barrel in a double barrel
shotgun. This is illustrated more fully in FIG. 16, showing
aperture 122 formed transversely through the frame forward of the
aperture for safety switch stop pin 124. The switch is adapted to
move from left to right to select, in a double barreled shotgun,
the barrel to be fired first. For a permanent selection of that
barrel, the pin 124 can be removed from the aperture and inserted
in the appropriate side of aperture 122. This provides for a fixed
selection of the barrel and, at the same time, disables the safety
mechanism by preventing the rearward movement of the safety switch.
The safety switch is, in FIG. 16, engaged with the barrel guide pin
99, which engagement is not possible in the position shown in FIG.
15, in which there is a gap between the safety switch and the guide
pin.
FIG. 17 is an enlarged left hand side view of the safety system,
with the firing mechanism in the automatic safety mode, with the
gun unlocked and the barrel assembly pivoting open. The safety
switch has automatically been moved to its rear "safe" position by
the auto safety actuator 114, disconnecting the trigger mechanism
from the sear 52.
FIG. 18 is an enlarged left hand side view ot the safety system,
showing the firing mechanism in the manual safety mode, with the
barrel assembly locking in the closed position and the safety
switch moved forward to the ready-to-fire position, connecting the
trigger mechanism to the sear. The pin for the rear end of the auto
safety actuating rod has been moved to aperture 119. The safety
switch stop pin 124 is in its normal, rearward position.
FIG. 19 is an enlarged left hand side view of the safety system,
showing the firing mechanism in the manual safety mode, with the
gun unlocked and the barrel assembly pivoting open. The safety
switch is still in the ready-to-fire position, but the trigger
mechanism has been disconnected from the sear by the auto safety
actuating rod. In this configureation, as soon as the gun is again
locked up, it will be ready to be fired.
FIG. 20 is the same view as FIG. 19, except that the safety switch
has been locked in the ready-to-fire position, to always fire a
pre-selected barrel first. There, the trigger mechanism is still
disconnected from the sear by the auto safety actuating rod when
the gun is unlocked and the barrel assembly is pivoted open.
FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view of the preferred fore-end tension
adjusting system, comprising fore-end iron 130 to which is attached
fore-end latch 132, connected to the other portion of the fore-end
iron by side rails, not shown. The fore-end latch comprises hook
portion 134 pivoted at pivot pin 135. The latch is biased against
the mating barrel lugs 136 by leaf spring 138. The barrel lug
include adjusting screw 140 biased against the fore-end iron at
abutting interface 142. The fore-end iron further comprises
fastening means 144, which provides a means for adjusting the
clearance between the fore-end iron and the barrel in the initial
assembly of the apparatus.
The features of the present invention provide several important
advantages in firearms.
The combination automatic ejection and hammer cocking mechanism of
this invention contains fewer parts than many previous over and
under shotguns. The present system is also readily converted to a
manual ejection system. This feature will be very beneficial for
those shooters who save their fired shells for reloading.
Further, the preferred top lever adjusting system of the present
invention allows the radial positioning of the centerline of the
top lever just to the right of the centerline of the frame top tang
when the action is closed. Specifically, the top lever adjusting
system allows the radial position of the centerline of the top
lever to be easily positioned just to the right of the centerline
of the frame top tang when the action is closed. Adjustment is also
available to ensure that the top lever is in a position to latch
itself open before the barrel assembly can be released to pivot the
gun open. The top lever adjusting system eliminates the extensive
precision hand work that previously was required to initially
position the top lever centerline and also control when the barrel
assembly is released. Additionally, it allows a well used gun's top
lever, the centerline of which has moved to the left of the top
tang centerline, to be readjusted to the right, as it was when it
was a new gun.
The automatic safety system of the present invention can be easily
converted to a manual safety and the safety/barrel selector
mechanism can also be locked in the fire position to always fire a
preselected barrel first. A large number of modern over and under
shotguns incorporate a safety switch that is automatically returned
to the "safe" position each time the top lever is operated to break
the gun open for reloading or unloading. This requires that the
safety switch be pushed to the fire position before the gun can
again be fired. Many competitive target shooters do not like this
automatic safety system and will have it converted to a manual
safety system, such that as soon as the gun is reloaded it can be
fired without having to operate the safety switch. In addition to
their preference for a manual safety switch, competitive target
shooters also like to lock their barrel selectors so that they
always fire a preselected barrel first.
The preferred safety of present invention accomplishes both of
these requirements in such a way that none of the modifications are
necessarily permanent and the full function of the automatic safety
can be easily restored. Prior shotguns that incorporate automatic
safeties can have them modified to manual safeties. This procedure
is somewhat involved, requiring that parts be permanently removed
from the safety mechanism by a competent gunsmith. The present
invention makes the modification very easy, by simply repositioning
parts that then must remain with the firearm in order for it to
function correctly.
The preferred fore-end assembly tension adjesting system of the
present invention permits barrel interchangeability with no change
in the fore-end assembly tension. The present invention provides an
easily accessible tension adjusting screw that is mounted in the
barrel lug.
* * * * *